


Thirteen Stories Of Two Unlikely Lovers

by EternalSailorNeptune_53



Category: Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Drabble Collection, F/M, One Shot Collection, Super Dangan Ronpa 2 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-03
Updated: 2015-03-08
Packaged: 2018-03-05 02:03:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3101000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternalSailorNeptune_53/pseuds/EternalSailorNeptune_53
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of 13 oneshots dedicated to my two favorite SHSL Sequel Nerds. Some of these prompts were requested, and some I came up with on my own! I got the idea to write these from the KazuKoi Network blog, where I'll try to submit this story to. Enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Strange Movie Night To Sink Your Teeth Into

As the clock on the wall idly ticked away by the second, Kazuichi Souda was nervously watching the time pass. On the coffee table in front of him, he had a few DVDs waiting to be put into the player and watched, and a fair-sized bowl of delicious, warm, buttery popcorn. Hopefully soon, he would be enjoying both things with his girlfriend, Mahiru Koizumi.

Another half an hour passed, and the time was now 6:15 in the evening. Sighing, Souda was starting to believe that Mahiru decided against showing up. Just as he was about to put away the stuff on the coffee table, he heard a ring at the doorbell. Rushing to the door, he was elated to see that the red-haired Photographer had come after all.

“Ya made it!” he chirped.

“Yeah, sorry I’m late,” she apologized, giving Souda a quick peck on the lips as she entered the house. “My dad once again neglected the floor, so guess who had to mop it for him?”

“Again? Sheesh, that’s fuckin’ messed up…”

“You think I don’t know that? Ugh, let’s just start Movie Night already.”

Mahiru took off her black sneakers before walking into the living room and taking a seat on the sofa. Looking at the DVDs on the coffee table, the SHSL Photographer began looking through her boyfriend’s choices of films.

“Hmm, ‘Treasure Planet’ and ‘Iron Giant’?” Mahiru wondered, “Kazu, the last time we watched the Iron Giant, you wouldn’t stop crying.”

“I know that! But I’m tellin’ ya, I can take it this time! I ain’t gonna cry!”

“We’ll see about that. Hey, this one’s new.” Picking up the DVD, Mahiru looked at the cover and title of the movie for a few seconds with a confused look. “...’Sharktopus’?”

“Yep, I just got it! I heard not very many people like it, but I thought I’d give it a go!”

“I think they have a valid reason for not liking it…”

“Oh, come on! Let’s watch it later after these movies! After all, we’d be saving the best for last!”

 _“Then why are we watching Sharktopus last?”_ Mahiru thought, rolling her olive orbs to the ceiling.

Souda and Mahiru decided to start with Treasure Planet for the first movie. The plot was rather exciting since it was a movie about space pirates, though they both couldn’t help but empathize with the main character for having a subpar father. In addition, the animated scenery was extraordinary, and Mahiru was the one to enjoy every second of it the most (while Souda was more focused on some of the machinery and aspects of the ship).

* * *

 After the end credits, Souda went to take the first film out of the DVD player in favor of Iron Giant. Mahiru kept warning him that he’d get sad towards the end, but the SHSL Mechanic repeatedly insisted that he wouldn’t. The movie progressed rather swimmingly; that is, until the climax had approached. Souda ate a handful of popcorn, eyes not leaving the screen as the Iron Giant began flying into the sky.

“I’m not gonna cry, I’m not gonna cry…!” he told himself as he tried fighting back the tears in his eyes.

Unfortunately, the moment the Giant had fatally collided with the missile and exploded, Souda was struggling to fight back the tears in his eyes, which were falling even faster as mucus began dripping from his nostrils as well.

“And, here we go…” Mahiru sighed, noticing Souda about to break down in tears. “Kazuichi, it’s just a movie--”

“HE JUST WANTED TO BE SUPERMAN!” Souda bawled, hugging Mahiru tightly. “BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD ROBOTS, MAHIRU!”

“Should I put in the next movie then?”

“Y-Yes… Can I please have a few tissues too?”

Sighing, Mahiru grabbed a few tissues from the entertainment center before putting in the final DVD of the night. She stared at the worrisome disk inside of the player for a second before sighing and pressing play as it entered its medium. When she sat down, she handed Souda the tissues, and he proceeded to wipe his tears away before blowing his nose into a few and tossing them into the small wastebin nearby.

“Heh-heh, looks like someone’s eyeliner has the runs,” Mahiru chuckled, looking at the black smears running down Souda’s face.

“What? Ah, damn it!” Souda cursed, “I’ll be right back. Don’t start the movie without me!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it…” Mahiru uttered, staring at the main menu screen.

When Souda came back with reapplied eyeliner a few minutes later, he took no time to take a seat next to Mahiru and play the movie. Even though they had eventually finished the beginning, Mahiru was already flabbergasted with the flick, while Souda was genuinely enjoying it. Nothing in the movie really made sense to the freckled Photographer; from the lack of emotion in the actors (even when they were near-death) to the very idea of a shark-octopus fusion animal overall.

“Why the heck don’t they just close down the beach?” Mahiru questioned. “It’s pretty obvious that it’s unsafe if that… thing is lurking around.”

“Because it’d prolly ruin the plot, that’s why,” Souda answered before continuing to watch the movie.

 Just as Mahiru was trying to stay strong and watch the movie, they reached a part where a woman got devoured while bungee jumping. While Souda looked on in shock, Mahiru merely looked at the screen with disbelief at how cheesy the scene was.

“Kazuichi, what’s the running time on this movie again?” she asked her boyfriend.

“Uhh, I think it was like 180 minutes or something,” he answered.

“Three hours worth of this stuff?! This movie is terrible!”

“Exactly. And that’s what makes it so fun to watch! I’m only paying attention to the scenes with S-11’s attacks.”

“It’s surprising how you can pay attention to _anything_ this film has to offer…”

* * *

 As the movie approached its climax, Mahiru found her eyelids becoming rather heavy as the time turned late. She didn’t know why, but she had to try and stay awake to see the joke of a film end. But as the octoshark monster was blown to smithereens, the SHSL Photographer wound up falling asleep.

“Ah, that was some movie, eh, Mahiru?” Souda asked, only to turn around to see his girlfriend fast asleep.

Souda knew that it’d be a bit rude to wake her so suddenly, so he quietly got up and went to the closet. A few seconds later, the SHSL Mechanic came back with a large blanket and a couple of pillows. He carefully shifted the pillow underneath Mahiru without waking her, laid down next to her before planting a second pillow below his head, and pulled the large, cozy blanket over the both of them. Turning off the DVD player and the TV with the remote, a sleepy Souda nuzzled his face into Mahiru’s with a smile before soon falling asleep beside her.


	2. Bring Back What Once Was Mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have a very good memory or knowledge about the comatose pods, or the endgame for SDR2 (but I am obviously aware of spoilers). Just thought I'd say that as a heads up for this disgusting chapter. This was requested by Anonymous, but I likely botched it up.

Walking out of the room, Souda began roaming the halls of Future Foundation aimlessly. Though to be honest, “aimless” wasn’t quite the right word for his actions. It had been about a month and a half since the Field Trip Of Mutual Killing, and the SHSL Mechanic was among the five survivors awaiting their comatose friends’ awakening. At the moment, Souda was currently on his way to the room where his fallen classmates lay in their vegetative slumbers.

The other four non-comatose students all had someone in particular whom they were hoping would wake up soon. Hinata had Komaeda (as it turned out Nanami never actually existed in the real world; something Souda and the others vowed to change), Kuzuryuu had Peko, Akane had Nidai, and Sonia had Gundam (much to Souda’s dismay). At first, Souda didn’t really have anyone he was waiting on in particular. But recently, he had gotten his old memories back, and that quickly changed.

“I wonder if she’s awake yet…” Souda said to himself as he approached the pods containing his comatose classmates.

He looked through each pod and each classmate to see their static state. The Mechanic had passed by the pods of Mioda, Pekoyama, Hanamura, and Komaeda before finally coming across the one he was looking for.

“Hey, Koizumi,” Souda greeted the comatose redhead inside of the pod. “How’re ya doing today?”

Souda knew very well that Mahiru was unable to answer him, but talking to her still seemed to help him. Although, the whole thing was rather odd since the two really hadn’t interacted much during their time on Jabberwock Island. And the time they _had_ talked to each other wasn’t very friendly. But, the SHSL Mechanic could recall knowing the SHSL Photographer before the Despairing Tragedy had occurred.

They were both students at Hope’s Peak like the others, and initially didn’t get along so great. But, after being involuntarily paired up for an important project, their opinions on each other gradually changed when they learned more about each other. By the time the project was due, Souda and Mahiru had become very close. In addition, Souda remembered feeling something for Mahiru that possibly rivaled his crush on Sonia, but chose to pursue the latter instead to avoid straining the friendship. With each thought and each second he spent looking at Mahiru’s comatose form, tears began dripping from Souda’s forlorn eyes and onto the green glass of the pod.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save ya…” he choked, leaning over the pod as if he were embracing the girl inside. “If I’d have gone to the Beach House instead of waiting in the diner, I could’ve stopped Pekoyama, and you’d be okay!”

Just then, the Mechanic sprouted an idea. Looking over at the round mainframe in the center of the room, he spotted the fifteen monitors for each existing student, five of which had been dimmed. Souda went over to Mahiru’s screen and saw the basic stats on how her dormant body was holding up. According to the screen, the Photographer’s cerebral cortex and RAS were currently dysfunctional.

 _“If I can just get ‘em up and working again, then maybe she’ll finally wake up!”_ Souda thought to himself before turning to Mahiru’s pod. “Koizumi, you’ll be back to your old self in no time!”

He then eventually made his way to the main computer in charge of keeping the pods running. Turning it on, it took a few seconds for the loading to become complete and for Alter Ego to greet the desperate Mechanic.

“Hello, Souda-kun!” Alter Ego chirped, “What brings you here?”

“Alter Ego, I need ya to give me access to the pods,” Souda told the AI.

“Access? But you can already visit the other students, can’t you?”

“I don’t mean _that_ kind of access. I meant I need you to help me modify one of them so I can wake up Koizumi.”

“Souda-kun, I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.”

“Why not?! She needs me!”

“Not only am I allowed to give that kind of access to only Naegi-kun, Togami-kun, and Kirigiri-san, but you might also cause the other pods to--”

“I don’t care! Lemme do it!”

Since Alter Ego wasn’t going to comply, Souda furiously began tapping the keyboard to try and access the pods’ functions. But, because he didn’t know too much about computers, there was no way of stopping Alter Ego from denying him. Eventually, the AI sounded off a blaring alarm as the room began flashing a red light over and over. Before Souda knew it, Togami (not the one he knew; the other, more snooty one) came bursting into the room.

“What did you do?!” he demanded to know, shoving Souda out of the way to shut down the alarm.

“Something you guys clearly can’t do quick enough,” Souda answered, a bit fed up. “But, Alter Ego stopped me from trying to bring back someone I care about.”

“In that case, Alter Ego has more of a brain than you do! Do you realize the potential damage you could have done to these pods?! You nearly ruined everything, you imbecile!”

“Shut up, shut up! If I brought Koizumi back, then maybe I could’ve been able to bring everyone else back too!”

“Clearly not if you triggered the alarm system! Ugh, just do yourself a favor and get out already. Leave the restoration work me and the others. You know, those who actually have a brain and an idea of what we’re doing?”

Growling at the Heir while baring his shark-like teeth, Souda walked away from the main computer and back into the pod room. Before leaving, however, he once again stopped at Koizumi’s pod. The very sight of the girl in her slumber-like coma made the pink-haired boy’s anger change back into sadness.

“Koizumi…” he sighed, stroking a hand against the glass above the Photographer’s cheek. “Wait for me, okay? I promise I’m gonna find a way to bring you back.”


	3. Souda's Magical Ferret Fiasco

Yet another day in Transfiguration class at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. During this time, the pink-haired Half-Blood known as Kazuichi Souda was currently sitting near the other Slytherins and messing around with the gecko he was supposed to non-verbally change into a vase. But, no matter how many times he cast the same spell, it didn’t quite transform right.

By the time class had been dismissed for the week, Souda’s transfiguration on the gecko was mostly successful (if one were to ignore the patches of scales on the new vase). As he gathered his things to leave with some of the other students, however, he noticed that another Slytherin was in a minor debate with the professor about something. That particular Slytherin was none other than Gundam Tanaka, someone Souda did not like all too well.

“Tch, wonder what Hamster Boy’s problem is now…” Souda scoffed under his breath as he sneaked closer to the other boy and the professor.

“Say what you will!” Gundam objected dramatically to the adult in front of him, “But mark my words, you shall rue the day you dared to use these divine beasts for your petty transmutations!”

“S’wrong, Tanaka?” Souda taunted as Gundam began making his leave. “Don’t have the guts to change one tiny lizard?”

“Begone, Sharktoothed One. I do not wish to listen to your impudent drivel.”

 _“There he goes using big words again. Stupid Mudblood…”_  

The pink-haired boy then spotted four tiny hamster heads protruding from the other boy’s green-and-silver House Scarf. With a rather impish and toothy grin on his face, Souda pointed his wand at one of the furry scalps, catching Gundam’s attention immediately.

“Heh, let’s see if one of your hamsters would make good Transfiguration practice!” Souda cackled, not completely serious.

“You shall not lay a hand on the Four Dark Gods Of Destruction!” Gundam objected angrily, quickly taking out his own wand.

Before Souda could even blink, he felt himself get zapped by a beam of orange light, immediately followed by a nauseating sensation that felt as though his stomach was shrinking. However, his stomach was definitely not the only thing that was quite literally reducing in size; Souda’s entire body from head to toe had shrunken.

After less than a second, his vision had seemingly gone pitch black, and he could only hear muffled murmurs of the other departing students (plus a few shouts from the teacher, saying something about "Detention" for Gundam). Squirming around a little, Souda discovered that he was trapped underneath some sort of fabric and kept wriggling until he saw the classroom again. But this time, everything in the room had apparently grown much larger.

 _“What the hell?”_ Souda thought, _“Did someone use Engorgio on the entire room? Pretty lame prank if you ask--”_

Before he could finish his thought, Souda noticed something odd about his hand. It didn’t quite look like a normal human hand; instead, it was a pink, furry paw. He quickly spotted someone’s forgotten Crystal Phials on the floor and went over to it. Needless to say, the boy was not happy with what he saw and let out a shriek of shock and terror. Staring back at him distorted in the phials was a pink, sharktoothed ferret with a small black beanie cap on his head.

 _“I’m a fucking ferret!”_ he gasped in his head before becoming angry. _“That bastard Tanaka must’ve hexed me! He needs to learn to take a damn joke…”_

Souda tried calling for help, but all that came out was a low chatter-like sound. Covering his mouth, he knew his situation had gotten worse.

 _“Great, now I can’t talk either!”_ he mentally growled, snatching his billywig stinger-cored wand with his sharp teeth. _“Guess I’ll have to find Tanaka and force ‘im to change me back himself!”_

Scampering out of the classroom, Souda began frantically wandering the halls of Hogwarts in search of Gundam. He was rather quick for someone who had just learned to walk on fours and avoided getting stepped on at all costs. Just then, he spawned an idea the moment someone had passed by him. Walking towards the Great Hall was none other than his Pure-Blooded Ravenclaw crush, Sonia Nevermind.

 _“Hey, maybe if I get Sonia-san to see me, she’ll think I’m all cute and cuddly!”_ Souda thought, grinning with hope in his eyes. _“Maybe I’ll even get to snuggle up to her! Eh… I guess I could stand to be a ferret for just a little longer!”_

Changing direction, Souda scampered off in the direction of the Great Hall. When he arrived, there was a great number of students sitting at their respective House Tables. It was quite hard to tell which table belonged to which House from Souda’s new height, so he had to try and find the Ravenclaw Table on his own.

 _“Bingo! This must be Sonia-san’s cloak!”_ he thought to himself, carefully smuggling himself and his wand into the dangling cloak pocket.

* * *

 Sometime after, Souda kept grinning to himself as he felt whom he thought was Sonia put her cloak back on and leave the Great Hall. But, when the cloak was eventually discarded onto a bed, Souda excitedly popped out of the pocket, only to find himself in a Common Room with a color scheme that didn’t quite match Ravenclaw standards. The beds were burgundy colored, and the walls were a nice shade of gold.

_“Okay, either the Ravenclaw chicks decided to give their dorm a whole new makeover, or--”_

He hid himself back into the cloak when he felt someone sit on the bed. Taking a peek, Souda quickly felt surprise before suddenly wanting to mentally hit himself in the head for making a mistake. Next to him doing her Potions homework was Mahiru Koizumi, a Half-Blood whom Souda believed didn’t quite like him at all.

 _“Argh, this is the Gryffindor Girls’ Dorm!”_ Souda complained in his thoughts. _“I climbed into the wrong cloak! Maybe if I’m real quiet, I can sneak out of the dorm without Koizumi seein’ me!”_

However, when he managed to wriggle himself and his fir wood wand out of the pocket, Souda unluckily slipped off of the cover and fell onto the floor with a _THUD_. This didn’t go unnoticed by Mahiru, who quickly turned around and saw something slip underneath the bed.

“Odd…” Mahiru pondered, looking underneath the dark bed. Taking out her wand, she pointed the hippogriff talon-cored spruce stick underneath the bed. “Lumos!”

A bright light glowed from the tip of the wand and illuminated the entire underside of the bed, and Mahiru was able to pull out the pink ferret with the wand stuck in between his sharp teeth. Holding him gently in her palms, Mahiru quickly examined the somewhat flash-blinded Souda. To her, the ferret indeed looked familiar, but she dismissed any reason that it was anything more than a mere pink ferret.

“I wonder if anyone lost him?” she pondered, scratching Souda’s chin a bit (which was strangely soothing to him). “I guess I could try looking for his owner later.”

Continuing her Potions homework, Mahiru pulled the ferret Souda onto her lap so she could keep an eye on him. Although her lap wasn’t Sonia’s, Souda found himself curling into a small spiral on it as her body heat made contact with his brisk fur.

* * *

 Later on, Mahiru had left the Girls’ Dormitory temporarily to see if someone was willing to loan her a small pet cage for Souda (whom she decided to call “Kazu” due to the resemblance). The rose-colored ferret-boy curled up on Mahiru’s pillow, snoozing the day away contently. That is, until another figure crawled up onto the bed. Waking up, Souda let out a shriek of terror upon becoming face-to-face with Grand Bois Cheri Ludenberg, who was being petsat by fellow Muggle-born Gryffindor Sayaka Maizono until that very evening. The chubby black cat didn’t hesitate to pounce on Souda, who just barely moved in time to avoid the attack. Running for dear life, Souda was being chased around the dorm room by Celes’ cat as it refused to cease preying on the ferret. When Grand Bois Cheri pounced again, it actually managed to trap Souda underneath its sharp claws.

 _“If I don’t think fast, I’m gonna be cat food!”_ Souda thought, squirming under the cat’s grasp. _“Wait! If I can just get back to the bed, I can get my wand and end this!”_

Although Souda was able to escape Grand Bois Cheri’s grasp, the cat also succeeded in leaving a nasty scratch wound on the ferret-boy’s abdomen. Wincing in pain, Souda chose to condone the pain and hurried to the bed. The cat was surprisingly swift, but not swift enough to catch Souda before he got to his wand.

 _“Game over, cat!”_ Souda gloated, wand in his teeth and pointing at Grand Bois Cheri. When the cat tried one last pounce, Souda mentally conjured the first spell that came to his mind. _“Immobulus!”_

As if on cue, Mahiru returned to the Dormitory with a large ferret cage full of supplies. When she noticed the room in shambles and the nearly-static cat on her bed, she looked back at “Kazu” and wondered how one ferret could cause such a mess.

“It looks like Celes isn’t going to be too happy about her cat,” Mahiru sighed, looking at the blinking feline.

While Souda was rejoicing his victory, he suddenly winced as the pain from the deep cat scratch in his abdomen came back. Mahiru noticed the poor thing writhing from the wound, so she took no time to take her wand out.

“What was that spell Tsumiki-chan taught me?” Mahiru wondered, magical spruce stick still pointed at the ferret’s stomach. “Vulnera Sanetur,” she said once as the wound stopped bleeding, “Vulnera Sanetur,” she repeated to clear residue, “Vulnera Sanetur,” she said one last time as the wound patched itself up. “There, all better now.”

When she put “Kazu” in the ferret cage, she decided to get a start on her Charms assignment. While she was doing so, she didn’t notice the ferret turn a bit rosy in his furry pink cheeks as he put a paw on the spot where the wound once was.

 _“She actually healed me?”_ Souda thought, now looking at Mahiru warmly. _“I mean, I know she prolly wouldn’t leave an animal wounded of course. But still, no one’s really ever tried to fix up my wounds before!”_

* * *

 That night, Mahiru was in her bed reading over a chapter in her book on merpeople. When she was finished, she put the book in her nightstand drawer and looked over at “Kazu” in the ferret cage. Ever since that past afternoon, the pink ferret had been stealing glances at her for some reason. And when she looked back, he seemed to turn his head away quickly.

“Well, goodnight, Kazu,” she told her temporary pet before turning over in her bed.

From the cage, Souda tried to think of a means to thank Mahiru for her beneficent deed. Shifting his eyes to a corner of the room for a few seconds, he regained focus as he spawned an idea. Picking up his wand with his teeth, he pointed the tip at the cage’s lock.

 _“Alohomora!”_ he casted in his head as the cage magically unlocked.

Leaving the wand behind, Souda nimbly climbed down from the stand where the cage was sitting, and made his way over to the sleeping Mahiru. By the time he had crawled below her neck, the redhead groggily opened her eyes to see him.

“Kazu? How did you get out of your cage?” she wondered, not seeing the wand inside of the metal bars.

Souda said nothing (as if he really could), and merely nuzzled his furry cheek against Mahiru’s breastbone. Taking it as a sign that he didn’t wanna go back in the cage, Mahiru merely smiled and fell back asleep on her back, careful of the ferret. With the girl asleep, a weary Souda felt a blush grow in his face as he curled up close to Mahiru’s chest and gradually fell asleep.

* * *

 The following morning, Mahiru was roaming the halls with Souda sitting atop her palms, wand still clenched between his teeth. She took her break opportunity to search for the ferret’s owner before she had to go to Herbology. But no matter whom she went to, no one had seen “Kazu” before in their lives. Just as she was about to give up on hope, she spotted Gundam walking by and quickly stopped him since he was the top person to go to for animal issues.

 _“Tanaka!”_ Souda growled in his mind, _“Now I can make him change me back!”_ As Mahiru walked closer to the other boy, Souda’s face became a little glum at the bittersweet thought. _“Though, it has actually been kinda nice spending time with Koizumi-chan… Maybe I can still do it when I’m human again!”_

“Hey, Tanaka,” Mahiru said, getting Gundam’s attention before he could walk off. “You wouldn’t happen to know anyone who lost a pink ferret, would you?”

At first glance of the sharktoothed pink ferret, Gundam immediately recognized who “Kazu” truly was upon remembering their little encounter after the previous day’s Transfiguration class.

“Indeed,” Gundam answered. “I have been entrusted with the task of caring for this slender beast until his master arrives to retrieve him.”

“So, you’re the one who lost him?” Mahiru questioned with a raised brow as she handed the pink ferret-boy over to Gundam. “Pretty irresponsible if you ask me…”

“Do not make me laugh! I, the supreme Gundam Tanaka, has never once let a creature escape my watchful eyes! Since you are willing to surrender him so quickly, it is clear that you have proven incompetent of mastering such abilities!”

“Whatever you say…”

Before leaving, Mahiru looked at “Kazu” one last time and smiled as she gave him another soothing, yet brief scratch under the chin. Once the Half-Blood girl was out of sight, Gundam roamed the halls with the ferret Souda in his hands before finding and entering the Hogwarts Library. Lucky for them, the grand room was empty at the moment.

“So, we meet again, Sharktoothed One,” Gundam said to the ferret. “Have you at last learned to not cross a superior being?”

Souda merely rolled his eyes, but gave Gundam a nod of the head to humor him. Deciding to accept the gesture, the ominous boy placed Souda on the ground, took out his wand, and cast the appropriate untransfiguration spell. Within seconds, Souda’s form had returned to being human. The only problem was, he wasn’t wearing clothes.

“Gyah! You couldn’t have at least brought a spare uniform with ya?!” Souda whined, covering his groin area.

“Be thankful I chose to revoke your curse to begin with.”

“Yeah yeah… I’m gonna go find Koizumi. I wanna talk to her.”

As Souda was leaving the library, still covering his lower region, he stopped when he heard Gundam speak.

“You’re welcome,” he said with a smirk.

“And why the hell should I thank you?!” Souda screeched, “I nearly got mauled by a cat because of you!”

“Have you not established a bond with the Abrasive One? She appeared to have regretted surrendering you earlier.”

Just as Souda was about to object, he knew that nothing in Gundam’s statement could be refuted. With his now-fleshy cheeks turning pink, the Half-Blood let out a huff as he left the library. For once in his life, he actually heeded his Muggle-Born rival’s words that made him sustain his plans to become closer to Mahiru after yesterday’s events.

But first, Souda chose to take care of a task that was also of crucial importance: Getting back to the Slytherin Boys’ Dormitory and retrieve some clothes as fast as he could.


	4. The Ultimate Question Of Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually based on two prompts from the "otpprompts" blog. I merely combined "Imagine your OTP has a young child that one day ask the 'Where do babies come from?' question. How do they handle it?" and "Imagine your OTP trying to give their child/children the birds and the bees talk, but end up making it more awkward than it should be.". I decided to use it for this chapter, and it came out like this. (PS, all three Souda children are present in the last chapter of the other KazuKoi fic I wrote)

A fine day in mid-March, an adult Souda was sitting at the table. Since he didn’t have work for the weekend, he chose to pass the time by tinkering with a flashlight idly. Each twist and turn with his screwdriver calmed the professional Mechanic down as usual, relieving him of any tense nerves he might have had earlier. Feelings of being even the least bit stressed seemed like they were vanishing.

Now, that certainly didn’t mean Souda _wasn’t_ living a happy life. After all, he enjoyed working at his self-owned workshop was actually successful (compared to the one his family owned in his youth), he mutually loved his wife and former high school comrade, Mahiru, and the two were blessed with a pair of fraternal six-year old boys. In addition, they were due to add a third child to their family sometime during the summer. But for that moment, things were a bit calmer with the atmosphere.

Unfortunately, that calm feeling didn’t last very long, and became quite awkward when Souda’s twin sons, Touya and Haruka, walked into the kitchen curiously.

“Dad, Touya and I have been wondering something,” Haruka announced.

“And it involves our future baby brother!” Touya added.

“Guys, we’ve told ya before,” Souda chuckled, turning around to face his children, “there’s also a chance you guys are gonna have a baby sister instead.”

“Yeah yeah, we know!” Touya said, “It’s just that it’d also be really cool if we both had a little brother, y’know!”

“What did you boys wanna ask?”

“Where do babies come from?”

Those five words made Souda’s color-contacted eyes widened with surprise, enough for him to drop the screwdriver onto the table. Trying to summon the correct words, he merely scratched above his magenta French braid in a nervous manner as beads of sweat rolled down his face.

“Uhh… w-well, ya see…” he stuttered, trying to think of something to say. “First, what made you two wanna ask that?!”

“Well, Mom said the baby’s in her tummy, so we wanna know how it got in there,” Haruka answered, still looking at his father with curious olive eyes behind glasses.

“Did she eat it?” Touya questioned, just as curious as his younger twin. “How’d it get in there to begin with?”

The twins’ persistence only made Souda even more nervous. He had even less time to think of an answer that would both satisfy the black-haired six-year olds and not leave them scarred for the rest of their lives. Sprouting an idea, he told Touya and Haruka to take a seat near the table.

“Okay, so you boys wanna know where babies come from?” Souda asked, grasping onto the screwdriver and flashlight.

“Mmm-hmm!” the boys nodded.

“W-Well, first of all, men and women are like machines, they’re made of a whole bunch of complex parts and function differently,” Souda started. “In that case, I guess I should start on how the baby’s made since that’s technically where it ‘comes from’.”

Shakily grasping the screwdriver and flashlight, Souda nervously made sure he could do this correctly. But at that moment, his heart was pounding inside of his chest, his sweat glands were out of control, and his mind was beginning to scatter. Regardless, he had to keep calm and make his lesson satisfying.

“F-First, a man takes his--” he began before trying to change his sentence, “Err, what I mean is, when a man and a woman love each other a lot, they typically do something very special.”

“Something special?” Haruka wondered, scratching his freckled cheeks with a raised eyebrow. “What do they do?”

“Uhh, yeah! It’s really special, Haru!” Souda laughed nervously, opening the flashlight from one end. “S-See, a man and a woman typically lay down together without clothes on--”

“Yuck! Why aren’t they wearing clothes?!” Touya complained, a bit grossed out and confused.

“That’s because they need to have their… parts visible,” Souda said, still feeling like his heart was about to give out. He took the screwdriver and began slowly inserting it into the flashlight, “S-See, the man and the woman eventually… join together, a-and they…”

As if on cue, a 5-month pregnant Mahiru walked into the kitchen, not quite sure what was going on. From what she could see, her relieved husband was sweating up a storm in his flushed face, and her twin sons were even more confused than ever.

“Did I… miss something?” Mahiru wondered with a raised red eyebrow.

“Mahiru, thank God you’re here!” Souda cheered, running up to hug his wife while still being mindful of her round belly. “Your timing couldn’t be anymore perfect!”

“Kazuichi, what were you telling Touya and Haruka?”

“Dad was trying to explain how our baby brother got in your belly,” Touya answered.

“But, he didn’t really tell us too much,” Haruka added. “What does a screwdriver and a flashlight have to do with babies?”

“...Okay, I can see where this is going,” Mahiru decided. “Honey, I’ll take this from here. Boys, come with me.”

Giving Souda a peck on the lips, Mahiru left with the twins to hers and Souda’s bedroom. Urging Touya and Haruka to take a seat on the bed, their expectant mother slowly lowered herself onto the mattress. Before speaking, she positioned herself so that she was facing the boys while trying to keep her cool at such an intense topic.

“Alright, what did your father tell you guys?” Mahiru asked. “What did you pick up from his… ‘explanation’?”

“Something about a mom and a dad being naked, and joining their bodies?” Touya answered.

“Also, they have a screwdriver and a flashlight for some reason,” Haruka added.

“Ooh, boy,” Mahiru groaned, placing a palm to her forehead. “Well, your father’s got the right idea, except for the part about the screwdriver and the flashlight. Those were probably representing how its done, but the tools themselves aren’t really needed.”

“What were they representing, Mom?” Touya wondered.

“Well, okay, how do I put this?” Mahiru started, taking a deep breath to calm herself a little. “First, a mom and a dad typically want to play a little game called 'making love', and it involves them joining their bodies together. They do this by having the dad insert his, umm, ‘weenie’ into a special hole the mom has.”

“Doesn’t that hurt the mom?” Haruka asked.

“Actually, no. It feels really good for the both of them. Anyways, the dad typically releases little seeds called ‘sperm’, which will help grow the baby. The mom also releases an ‘egg’--”

“You’re laying an egg?!” both twins gasped in surprise.

“No boys, I’m not going to lay an egg,” Mahiru assured them, twirling the tied end of her long red shoulder ponytail as she continued her lesson. “The type of egg moms make is very small, and when it combines with the first of the dad’s sperm to reach it, a baby starts growing for nine months inside of my womb.” she added, rubbing her round mid-section with one hand as Touya and Haruka looked at it with curious eyes. “Sometimes, I make more than one egg, and that results in twins growing inside of me.”

“Oh! So that’s how me and Haru were born!” Touya realized, dark gray eyes reflecting his amazement.

“That’s right, Touya,” Mahiru confirmed with a smile.

“But, Mom, how does the baby come out of you?” Haruka asked one last time.

“After nine months, the baby stops growing, and the doctor at the hospital has to help it come headfirst out of the ‘special hole’ I mentioned earlier. Of course, Mommy’s gonna be in quite a bit of pain when that happens, but I’ll still be fine. Now, does that answer your question?”

“Yep!” the twins confirmed, “We get it now!”

“That’s good,” Mahiru sighed with relief.

Satisfied with the answer, Touya and Haruka left the room, now more excited than ever for the arrival of their future baby “brother”. Just as Mahiru was about to try and lift herself off of the bed, Souda came in through the doorway and sat down next to her.

“Tou and Haru get the picture?” Souda asked.

“Yes,” Mahiru answered, placing two hands on her swollen womb. “I think they’re all set.”

“Glad that’s over…” Souda sighed, just as relieved.

“I’ll say. Good thing I explained it to them; I have no idea where you were going with your explanation!”

“What’re you talking about? Mine was going pretty well!”

“Right, because _nothing_ sends a good message like using a screwdriver and an open flashlight…” Mahiru commented sarcastically.

“But I wasn’t wrong, now was I, babe~?”

“N-No… but it still wasn’t a good explanation!”

“Whatever. At least the boys know the answer now!”

Although Mahiru’s face still emanated a blush from the earlier, more suggestive statement, Souda gave her a deep kiss on the lips that soon turned mutual. Once they pulled apart, the two merely laid down on the bed next to each other, Mahiru of course sitting in a position that was comfortable for her pregnant form. Their children’s curious question was rather hectic for the both of them to answer wisely, and this position seemed to be enough to make the two parents relax a bit.

“Love ya, Mahiru,” Souda crooned, kissing his wife near her cheek while resting a palm on her swollen belly.

“I love you too, Kazuichi,” Mahiru replied, smiling as she leaned her head on her husband’s shoulder.


	5. Underground Discoveries And Unlikely Bonds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forget what I said about the Hogwarts chapter, THIS ONE was wicked long to write! Nine pages of this was seriously long as hell, and took days to write! Nonetheless, it was still fun to finish and get through! Hopefully, the next chapter won't take nearly as long to finish.

As with every other day, the warm summer sun shone down upon Jabberwock Island. All the students were nearly adjusted to the new tropical setting of the environment chosen for them by Usami, so everyone was mostly off in their own place.

For Mahiru, that “own place” was her having lunch in the island’s diner with her friend, Hiyoko Saionji. As the two girls munched on their meals, Mahiru heard something outside. Looking out the window, she groaned upon seeing Souda asking Sonia something, only for the Princess to shake her head no and walk off.

“There he goes again…” Mahiru sighed, rolling her olive green eyes as she swallowed another bite of food. “When’s he gonna learn that he’s never gonna get Sonia-chan to like him?”

“Exactly!” Saionji cackled. “When’s that idiot pig gonna learn?”

“I doubt he’ll ever. A guy like that just has no tact whatsoever.”

“You can say that again! Big bro Souda’s nothing but pathetic pig!”

Just as the girls finished their meals completely, Saionji spotted Mikan near the diner. Grinning maliciously, she bid Mahiru farewell so the small Classical Dancer could attend to business with the “dirty tramp” of a SHSL Nurse. When Mahiru left, she was planning on going elsewhere herself when she saw Souda walking off by himself. Curious, the SHSL Photographer decided to follow him.

“I just know Sonia-san will like me someday!” Souda told himself, determined. “I just have to try harder and use a different approach is all!”

“Like finally growing some sense?” Mahiru asked, making a startled Souda turn around suddenly. “Sonia-chan’s clearly not interested, and she never will be.”

“Say what ya want, Koizumi! I just know I can woo Sonia-san one day! I dunno what she sees in Tanaka, but I’ll be a hundred times better than ‘im!”

“Right. The day that happens is the day I grow bat wings and fly off of this island.”

“Hey, I don’t need your nay-saying, Red! When you’re proven wrong, and I become Sonia-san’s boyfriend, we’ll see who’s laughing!”

Rolling her eyes, Mahiru kept walking. She was among the majority of the students who thought Souda’s infatuation with Sonia was downright delusional. But since there was no was of convincing him, she couldn’t do anything about it. Just then, the two students spotted something peculiar in the distance. Walking closer, they discovered that it was some sort of cave.

“Was that cave always there before?” Mahiru asked.

“Beats me,” Souda shrugged. “I guess Usami must not’ve told us about it.”

“Well, I’m going to investigate it. There’s no point in asking questions we can find out the answers to. Are you coming?”

“Uhh, w-well…” Souda gulped, trying to hide his slight terror. “Maybe you should go on without me, Koizumi! I’m sure it’s not too bad!”

“If it’s not too bad, then why are you so scared to follow me? Besides, it’s your job as a man to protect a girl in case something bad does happen! Now come on!”

“Fine, wait up.”

Although hesitant, Souda followed Mahiru into the strange cave. The interior was quite dark and ominous, making the Mechanic shake a bit in the legs. He tried hiding it behind his mask of confidence, but the masquerade wasn’t staying as strong as he had hoped.

“Souda, it’s a cave,” Mahiru said, seeing through Souda’s facade. “Nothing in here’s going to kill you if you’re not careful.”

But as they went spelunking further into the cave, a swarm of disturbed bats charged right at them with their blood-curdling screeches. Mahiru let out a startled shriek, but Souda’s scream exhibited much more fear. Out of instinct, the Mechanic ran for his life, making the Photographer have to catch up with him.

“Souda, wait up!” Mahiru called through the bat swarm.

Due to the swarm blocking the visions of the terrified and fleeing SHSL Mechanic and the SHSL Photographer following him, they couldn’t see the path ahead clearly. With that, Souda wound up stepping on an unstable part of the floor, causing him to make a hole in the floor that he and Mahiru fell right into, screaming all the way down.

* * *

 Much later, Mahiru woke up before Souda did. Looking around the cave, she saw nothing but darkness illuminated only by the hole they had fallen through. But since the hole was extremely far up, the lighting was quite dim.

“Ah, that was some fall…” Mahiru breathed. “Hey, Souda, wake up.”

Shaking the Mechanic, she succeeded in awakening the once-unconscious Souda. He looked around the area and could only see the walls of the cave from the dim light of the hole, which was far too high up for either of them to climb out of.

“Augh, we’re trapped! We’re trapped!” Souda wailed audibly, now terrified.

“Shhh, keep it down!” Mahiru whispered from behind, grabbing Souda by the shoulder to get his attention.

Startled upon Mahiru’s sudden appearance, Souda let out a rather loud shriek of terror, causing large rocks from the surface to start falling through the hole. Panicking, Souda pushed Mahiru out of the way of the cave collapse just as the rocks piled up in a fashion that sealed the hole entirely.

“You okay, Koizumi?” Souda asked, looking down at her.

“Y-Yeah, thanks for that. I would have been toast if you hadn’t acted,” Mahiru responded genuinely before becoming a bit vexed. “But thanks to you, we’re now trapped more than ever!”

“Well, maybe next time, you shouldn’t startle me like that!”

“Maybe you should be more alert when it comes to your surroundings! Geez, you’re a man, so the least you could do is take responsibility!”

“The least I could do?! Who just saved you from getting flattened like a pancake, Koizumi?”

Before Mahiru could answer, Souda suddenly winced in pain as he gripped his arm. Although neither one of them could see, Mahiru had to feel around the Mechanic’s arm until he cried out in pain again.

“Must’ve scraped it during the rockslide…” Souda groaned.

“Then try to be more careful next time,” Mahiru sighed, pulling out a small roll of bandages from her jumper pocket. “I know you were trying to save me, but you got hurt in doing so.”

“Hey, where’d ya get the bandages?” Souda asked as the Photographer wrapped up the bleeding scrape.

“Tsumiki-chan gave me these for helping her out. Look, be more careful next time, okay?”

“Th-Thanks, Koizumi.”

“Don’t mention it. Right now, we need to find our way out of these caverns. Now, if only we had a torch or something, then we could see.”

Souda dabbled with the large bolt-shaped flashlight dangling from his jumpsuit and turned it on, causing a bright light to emanate from it and illuminate a large portion of the cave. With their newfound light source, he and Mahiru kept walking further into the cave. While they were searching, Souda thought back to the bandage wrapped around his injury, and how it was a rare moment for someone to actually treat a wound. But, the Mechanic chose to bring his mind back to the task at hand as he and Mahiru kept looking through the underground caverns.

* * *

 The two SHSL students had been searching for what seemed like hours, but they still had no luck on finding a possible way back to Jabberwock Island’s surface. Souda managed to find a new path, but it instead lead to a cavern full of almost nothing but water.

“Augh, we’re never gonna get outta here!” Souda cried, pulling his beanie cap over his teary eyes before straightening up with feigned confidence. “Er, I mean, I’m sure this is a minor setback! I’ll find a way outta here, and I’ll finally be reunited with Sonia-san!”

“Give me a break…” Mahiru scoffed, rolling her eyes. “You realize that Sonia’s--”

“‘Not interested’, I know. Sure, that may be the case now, but like I said, I’m gonna work hard to change that! I’ll just have to make myself the man that she’d want me to be!”

“Tch, unbelievable. You’re so delusional that you’re willing to become someone you’re not for a dumb reason! What kind of person does that?”

“H-Hey, that ain’t somethin’ you should talk shit about! I-I’m sure some people have very good reasons for wanting to change themselves!”

Something about Souda’s words made Mahiru a bit suspicious, especially about the slight pain in his face as he said them. But, she didn’t really believe someone like Souda could have a reason to do something like that, so she left it alone. Her thoughts were cut when the ledge end Souda was standing on collapsed under him, causing the boy to fall straight down.

“Souda!” Mahiru gasped as the Mechanic began sinking down into the water.

Taking a deep breath, Mahiru quickly dove into the chilly waters below and kept swimming down until she reached the unconscious Souda. Pulling him close to her by the hand, she held onto him tightly and swam back up to the surface, lucky to find an area of land surrounding the large cave pool. Collapsing on top of the SHSL Mechanic, Mahiru knelt onto her knees and began pressing Souda’s chest in a certain rhythm.

“Come on, Souda!” she pleaded, still pressing on his chest to hopefully make him cough up water. “Don’t die on me! You gotta wake up!”

Having no other option, Mahiru ceased pressing down on Souda’s chest. She took a deep breath through her nostrils, parted Souda’s mouth until it was fairly open, and exhaled once she brought her lips to his. With a few exhales, Mahiru quickly separated from Souda once he regained consciousness and started coughing up water.

“I’m… alive?” Souda wondered groggily. “Did you save me, Koizumi?”

“Well, there’s no one else you’re stuck underground with,” Mahiru answered a bit sarcastically.

“Holy shit, thanks! I’d have been a goner if it wasn’t for ya!”

“Yeah. And look, our light source is still intact too!”

“Yep! Nothin’ like a waterproof flashlight when ya need it most!”

“Too bad my camera wasn’t so lucky,” Mahiru sighed, trying to turn on her waterlogged camera unsuccessfully. “And to think I could have taken photos of this place.”

“Hmm, ya want me to hold onto that for ya?”

“Be my guest. I can’t use it anyways.”

Mahiru reluctantly handed the camera over to Souda, who stashed it away in his jumpsuit for safe-keeping. Although he had wished his first kiss (which was merely CPR) had been a certain SHSL Princess, Mahiru didn’t seem to be a bad option either. But, the silence between the two was broken when Mahiru asked a question as they exited the water cavern through another exit.

“Souda, what did you mean when you said people ‘have good reasons for being who they’re not’?” Mahiru asked.

“Wh-What?” Souda stuttered, now getting really nervous. “Uhh, haha! I never said anything like that!”

“Yes you did, you liar. Now, what did you mean by it?”

Souda now felt like a trapped rat at being unable to convince Mahiru. The last thing he wanted to do was tell her the truth, lest he be possibly ridiculed or even scolded. Furrowing his pink eyebrows, he stubbornly turned his head away from Mahiru.

“It’s not important,” he lied. “Besides, you wouldn’t get it, anyway!”

“Oh really? From the way you’re talking, it’s obviously important to you,” Mahiru retorted, rolling her olive eyes. “Though, I really don’t get why someone as tactless as you would wanna pretend to be something else.”

“...You’re right. You don’t get it at all,” Souda growled, now frustrated. “Do you ever think that some people wanna work hard to get everyone to finally stop treating ‘em like garbage, so they get rid of what they used to be? But hey, of course you wouldn’t! Because you’ve never been bullied for nearly half your life, and you’ve never wanted to try and fit in. I’d bet you’ve never even tried changing how you look and act all because you want things to finally go right, but even that barely worked to begin with! So, yeah, you think I’m a tactless perv? That’s fine by me. Let’s just get out of here already…”

The SHSL Photographer was more than surprised at Souda’s rant. Beforehand, Souda to her was just some guy who seemed ready to take on the world and making constant mistakes. He was just someone who couldn’t take no for an answer and had absolutely no moral filter to him (not nearly as bad as Hanamura, but still to a certain degree). But now, she got the hint that all of that smug confidence was just a mask hiding a scared little kid who wanted to escape his own pain and social rejection. Mahiru was now starting to feel remorseful for being a little too hard on Souda, but her only reason for doing that was to get him to shape up as a male human being.

* * *

 It had been quite a long period of time since the near-drowning incident, and Souda was still barely saying a word as he and Mahiru kept wandering the underground labyrinth. Once they found a path to try and search through, Mahiru finally broke the silence between her and Souda.

“Souda?” she asked.

“Yeah, Koizumi?” he sighed, not bothering to mask his huffy tone.

“Hey, lose the attitude! Look, I just wanted to say sorry about earlier. I really shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions about you. Of course, it doesn’t justify your poor behavior in the slightest, but I still should have tried to understand the reason why you’re like that.”

“Well, now you know more about me, so don’t sweat it. Besides, it was kinda rude of me to yell at ya like that, anyway.”

“I don’t need you to tell me that; I already said I was sorry, okay?”

“Alright, Red.” Souda then took a little pause in his words as he and Mahiru continued trekking through the mysterious cave. “Come to think of it, you really haven’t told me anything about yourself either.”

“What? What do you mean? What’s there to tell you?”

“Oh, nothin’. Except the reason why you’re so harsh to pretty much every guy on the Island.”

At Souda’s “vague” hint, Mahiru gave a little huff as she turned her olive green eyes away from his pink color contact-filled ones. Nonetheless, she knew that Souda was unlikely to just drop the question if she refused to answer.

“I have my reasons,” Mahiru said, a tad bit miffed. “I’m only harsh on them because I want them to be halfway decent human beings. You’d have high expectations too if you had to live with someone who never even bothered to attempt a shred of housework.”

“You lived with a guy like that? Then why the hell didn’t you leave him or kick ‘im outta your house?”

“Souda, I think it’d be kind of difficult to kick my own father out of the house.”

“Why the hell was your dad makin’ ya do all the housework? The least he could do is try to do some!”

“I know that. But, with Mom being overseas almost all the time, there was no one else to do the chores. And, there was no way of getting through to my dad either. He never did anything horrible to me, but he still wouldn’t learn or listen to what I told him.”

“Ah. Still though, it’s kinda bullshit on how he didn’t even try to do things. I mean, I always did my share of housework because my old man was just plain helpless without me. And when I messed up even a little bit, boy did I get a whupping for that!” Souda added, his voice tone making it seem like it wasn’t a big deal.

“Your dad hit you?!” Mahiru gasped, now ceasing her walk completely as Souda did the same. “That’s horrible! How could you make something like that sound like nothing?”

“That’s because I’ve gotten beatings more brutal than what my old man could throw at me, remember?”

“O-Oh, right. Nevermind…”

“Hey, don’t sweat it! It ain’t your fault. Let’s just focus on findin’ a way back to the surface. Who knows? Maybe we could talk more when we go back to the Island.”

“Deal. But while we’re searching, why don’t we get to learn a little more about each other?”

* * *

 During the search for an escape from the ominous caverns, Souda and Mahiru began opening up to each other a little more. They carried conversations about their personal interests, how they gained their ultimate talents, and even their hopes and dreams for the future. Souda found Mahiru’s dream to be as great of a photographer as her mother was incredible. Mahiru herself thought of Souda’s dream of building a fully-functional rocket ship to be both interesting and unique (it certainly made a better conversation than his extreme interest in tanks). With each second spent conversing, the two began seeing each other in a new, more friendly light.

“...Of course, I can’t just build it in one night,” Souda continued, still feeling rather passionate about the topic. “It’s gonna take a while and a lotta work, but I know my dream rocket will be up and ready one day!”

“First things first,” Mahiru added with a chuckle, “you have to keep your motion sickness and nerves under reps.”

“Right, right! Hey, maybe when it’s done, I’ll let ya tag along with me! That way, you can snap amazing photos of the wonders of outer space!”

“I’d love to! That is, if I can get a new camera by the time that happens…”

“Oh, trust me, Koizumi. You won’t have to worry about that!”

Before Mahiru could ask what her companion meant, they spotted a faint light up ahead. Walking closer, they saw that it was a cavern full of beautiful violet and pale sea green crystals. The very sight of the new cavern was enough to spark awe and wonder within Souda and Mahiru, the latter wishing even more that her camera wasn’t waterlogged and broken.

“This… this is beautiful!” Mahiru breathed, approaching a glimmering green crystal. “How could something like this be concealed underground?”

“Beats me,” Souda remarked, stroking an elegant violet crystal. “But I agree; this place has some pretty sights! Koizumi, come check this out!”

As Mahiru walked over to Souda, the round, softball-sized crystal near her feet went unnoticed, causing her to trip right over it. Just as Souda turned around at the sound of the Photographer’s yelp, he was knocked to the flat cavern floor when she fell on him. Turning his head, he soon realized that he was staring directly into Mahiru’s eyes and vice-versa. It was clear that both of them were turning pink in the cheeks the more they were pinned to the floor; eye contact not broken for a while.

“Y-You okay?” Souda asked, blush failing to fade as he tried moving underneath Mahiru’s accidental pin hold.

“Yeah…” Mahiru replied with a blush of her own, finally removing herself from the Mechanic’s form. “Sorry, Souda, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“Hey, wait!” Souda exclaimed, seeing something at the top of the cavern once Mahiru moved. “I think I spot an exit!”

“You do? Where?!”

Looking in Souda’s direction, Mahiru spotted a hole in the cavern ceiling. Although suddenly hopeful, she began searching for a way to reach the hole. Her search came to an end when she noticed a pattern of sturdy violet and green crystals forming a makeshift ladder that led close to the hole. The SHSL Photographer guided Souda over to the spot, and he allowed her to climb up first. As they climbed, the SHSL Mechanic had no choice but to avoid looking directly up, lest he get scolded by the redhead. In only a few steps, Mahiru reached the hole. With a few rough knocks, the flimsy rubble fell apart and the hole widened enough for the two students to climb through and reach a cave where the night-lit Jabberwock Island was in sight.

“We did it! We made it out!” Souda rejoiced, elated.

“I knew we’d find an exit!” Mahiru added, just as merry upon escaping the caverns.

“Huh? Oh, Saionji! I found them! They’re over here!” Hinata exclaimed, running into the cave with the blonde SHSL Classical Dancer.

“Big Sis Koizumi! You’re okay!” Saionji cheered, immediately hugging Mahiru before shooting Souda a nasty glare. “That stupid pig Souda didn’t do anything to you, did he?!”

“No, Hiyoko-chan, everything’s okay,” Mahiru insisted. “If anything, Souda helped get us back to the surface.”

“Exactly! So don’t go shoutin’ at me over nothin’, Blondie!” Souda retorted.

“Pfft, whatever!” Saionji cackled. “I’d bet Big Bro Souda was a complete train wreck without Big Sis! You probably just screamed and whined like the little ugly pissbaby you are!”

“Grrr…” Souda growled before diverting his attention to Hinata. “So, how’d you guys find us?”

“You two have been gone all day, so Togami had us split into groups to try and look for you.”

“And naturally, you and the little gremlin found us!” Souda said, ignoring anything that might’ve come out of Saionji’s mouth. “I’d expect nothin’ less from my one and only Soul Friend!” he added, putting an arm around Hinata’s shoulder.

“That’s right. Now come on, Togami’s waiting for us to bring you two back.”

* * *

 Later that night, Mahiru was in her cottage getting ready for bed. Examining her wall of photos, she lamented at the fact that she was unable to take any pictures of the underground caverns of Jabberwock Island. Just as she pulled her sky blue pajama shirt over her freckled chest, she heard a few knocks at the door.

“Hello?” she said, looking around to find nobody at her door. “Tch, real mature-- wait, what’s this?”

She noticed a wrapped item left at her cottage doorstop. Removing the wrapping, Mahiru discovered that it was her camera; the same one that had gotten ruined underground. What surprised her the most was when she turned it on and successfully took a flashed photo.

“It’s… it’s fixed!” she beamed, smiling from ear to ear. Mahiru noticed a note attached to the camera and read it aloud to herself. “‘Thought I’d pay you back for saving my skin back there. Enjoy, Red! From, Souda’.”

Mahiru saw that below the “From” part was what looked like the word “Love” scribbled out furiously. With a smile and a light pink color coming to her freckled cheeks, the SHSL Photographer walked back into her cottage for a good night’s sleep, head full of memories from the unexpected day she spent with Souda.


	6. Love Is In Matrimonial Bloom

The day had finally come. As for what day that was, it was the execution of an important plan for the almost-21-year old Souda. He had been dating Mahiru Koizumi for nearly a year and a half, and the Mechanic was currently in the living room of the house he owned himself, pacing and holding a small black box that represented his stressful plan: asking Mahiru to marry him.

“Alright, alright,” he breathed, finally stopping himself from pacing. “I’ve gone over the plan, thought it through, and even rehearsed with Komaeda!” Souda shuddered at the rather disturbing memory of the grown ex-SHSL Luckster wearing a long red wig and marker-drawn freckles acting as Souda’s “practice Mahiru”. “I think I’m ready to do it for real! Here’s to hoping things go right, and she accepts…”

Gathering his jacket to face the chilly Spring day, Souda tucked the engagement ring box into his pocket in order to avoid losing it. As he left the house and locked the door, he dialed Mahiru on his phone and told her to meet him at his workshop. Luckily, it wasn’t a workday, so the moment would be absolutely perfect for the two of them.

Once he arrived, all Souda had to do was wait for his girlfriend to show up. Since he knew Mahiru wasn’t one to just bail on him without a good reason, the Mechanic toyed with the ring box in his pocket nervously as he awaited the Photographer’s arrival. Upon hearing the sound of a bell, he knew that someone had entered. Straightening up, he watched as Mahiru came into the workshop with a confused look on her face.

“You called me here, Kazuichi?” Mahiru asked.

“Y-Yeah, I did! I just… wanted to show ya somethin', babe!” Souda said, guiding Mahiru over to the tan sheet draped over something.

Subtly wiping his palm sweat onto the thick sheet, Souda unveiled the white wedding convertible that he was conveniently  repairing for a customer. Since he was almost done with the repairs, he figured it would be perfect to show to Mahiru as part of the plan.

“A wedding convertible?” Mahiru wondered with a raised red eyebrow. “You called me over here to show me this?”

“That's right! I’m fixin’ her for a customer’s wedding. Ain’t she a beaut?” Souda asked with a nervous chuckle. “Hell, maybe someday, you and your husband will be riding in one of these. Right, Mahiru?”

“...Kazuichi, is there something you need to tell me? It sounds really important.”

Mahiru’s question made the pink-haired man swallow any anxious bile he had in his throat. Souda felt his heart beginning to race in his chest and his respiration suddenly turn uneasy and rapid. But, he gathered enough thoughts to remember what he had intended to do. Taking out the black engagement ring box from his jacket pocket, he clasped his hands onto Mahiru’s, still holding the box in his sweaty palm.

“Kazu, what are you--” Mahiru tried to ask.

“T-Trust me!” Souda told her, clearing his throat. “S-So, I was wondering i-if you, Mahiru Koizumi… erm, uhh…” The Mechanic’s mind was now starting to get foggy with anxiety. His nervousness overcame him enough to mess up his speech as he finally managed to get the question out. “M-MAHIRUWILLYOUMARRYMETHEREISAIDIT?!” he asked rapidly, opening the ring box in front of Mahiru to reveal a garnet-encrusted silver engagement ring.

All the utterly surprised Mahiru could do was blink a few times without saying a word. She knew she had been with Souda for a long enough time, but the proposal wasn’t any less surprising to her. When she looked away from Souda, the flustered Mechanic took his girlfriend’s silence in the worst way. But, the words that passed her lips next was even more shocking.

“I don’t know if I’ve told you this,” Mahiru began, “but…”

“What? Haven’t told me what?” Souda wondered.

“I’m already engaged to someone.”

The Photographer’s sudden news felt like a thousand blades piercing through Souda’s heart. He could only think that at the moment, Mahiru had committed perfidy and that someone had stolen her from him. Tears began flowing from his eyes as he clasped the ring box as tight as his broken heart was clenching in his chest.

“I-I see…” he hissed, “Well, that’s just fucking great! S-So, who is it? Who’s the bastard you’ve been leading me on with, eh?!”

“Huh?” a confused Mahiru wondered before realizing the misunderstanding. “Oh! Well, you really wanna know the guy I’m marrying?”

“F-Fine, go ahead... I’d bet you’d be really happy with--”

Before Souda could finish his outraged sentence, his color-contacted eyes widened with surprise when Mahiru gave him a deep kiss on the lips. When she pulled apart, the woman with long red hair had a genuine smile on her face.

“Silly, the guy I’m marrying is named… Kazuichi Souda,” she announced, clearing up the misunderstanding.

“Wait, so… you’re saying yes?!” Souda beamed, now completely elated.

“Of course! I thought you’d never ask!” Mahiru’s tone then became temporarily offended at the earlier assumption. “Though, I don’t get how you could think I’d ever cheat on you behind your back! Do you not trust me or something?”

“No no no, I do trust ya! I just wasn’t thinking for a second is all!”

_“Which really isn’t news to me, Kazuichi…”_

Souda slipped the engagement ring onto his now-fiancée’s finger as they both embraced each other in total bliss. From that day on, they would start planning for the biggest day of their entire lives.

* * *

 Numerous months had passed, and their Spring Equinox wedding was now only a few weeks away. Souda and Mahiru had begun living under the same roof for almost a month, and were now trying to adjust to their new lives. They still had things to do before tying the knot, but most of the extremely crucial stuff had been taken care of beforehand. They got word from Hanamura that the wedding cake and toppers would be ready by the following day, all of the bridesmaids and groomsmen had been chosen (along with the Maid Of Honor and Best Men), the arrangements with the florist had been settled, and Mahiru had recently come back from wedding dress shopping with a few of her friends that night.

However, as the Photographer was finishing up her shower after putting the dress in a safe place in her bedroom closet, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of nervousness in the pit of her stomach as she was stepping out of the shower wearing only a towel around her damp body.

“In a few weeks, I’ll be married…” she sighed to herself, drying her long red hair with a separate towel. “Why do I feel this way? I wanna marry Kazuichi, but… something doesn’t feel right.”

Just as she finished putting on her underwear and pajama pants, she heard the doorbell ring. Quickly pulling her nightshirt over her body, Mahiru left the bathroom to answer the door. Unlocking and opening it, she saw that Souda had come home with the sleek black tuxedo he intended to wear for the wedding.

“Hey, babe!” Souda greeted, hugging Mahiru with his free arm before giving her a peck on the lips. “Were you about to call it a night?”

“Not right away, but I did just get out of the shower,” Mahiru told her fiancé in a despondent tone.

“You okay, ‘Hiru? Is somethin’ bothering ya?”

“Umm, yeah… But, I’m sure it’s just pre-wedding jitters! Nothing to worry about, honey.”

“Are ya sure? Feel free to talk to me about it if you need to.”

“I’m fine, Kazu! Honest.”

“Whatever you say, Mahiru. I’m just gonna put my tux away, and I’ll start up dinner in a bit.”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll be there to help you when you’re gonna start,” Mahiru said, quickly remembering Souda’s “culinary skills”.

Even when Souda was out of sight temporarily, Mahiru was starting to get the feeling that her jitters weren’t going to fade so easily. She decided to try and suppress it and keep herself calm for the next few weeks until things were over and done with. But, she would soon discover that it was easier said than done.

* * *

 Before everyone knew it, the morning of March 20th had arrived. Numerous people were gathering in the wedding venue, all dressed formally for the ceremony that was to take place. Standing at the altar nervously was Souda; neck-length magenta hair completely down (save for the stubborn spikes at the top that just couldn’t be reasoned with) and wearing his sleek black tuxedo that was bound to be drenched with sweat. Beside him were the two Best Men, Leon Kuwata and Hajime Hinata (the Mechanic had to go with both in order to settle a one-sided squabble when Leon wanted the title badly), who were trying to calm their friend down.

“Souda, calm down,” Hinata told his longtime Soul Friend, “you look like you’re gonna have a heart attack.”

“Wh-What? Haji, I am calm!” Souda lied with a nervous chuckle. “I’m, I’m calmer than a blizzard wind in the summertime!”

“Dude, you’re so nervous you can’t even get your analogies right,” Leon pointed out.

“Well, can ya really blame me?!” Souda asked, “What if something goes wrong? What if something happens to Mahiru?! What if--”

“Alright, alright, Souda,” Hinata assured, placing a hand on the nervous groom’s shoulder. “I can see why you’re nervous since it’s your Big Day and all, but you gotta have a little faith!”

“Yeah, I’m sure Koizumi’s just as nervous as you are!” Leon added. “Everything’s gonna be fine, trust me.”

“Y-You’re right! I gotta shape up for Mahiru!” Souda told them confidently. “But, I also gotta wait for her to walk down that aisle, and keep it cool.”

Just then, the organist began playing the bridal chorus, signifying that the bride would soon be walking down the aisle. All of the guests, people at the altar, and important wedding participants looked at the doors behind them, awaiting the woman-of-the-hour. But, when an hour had passed and Mahiru still had yet to show up, everyone began fearing the worst.

 _"She’s gotta show up, she’s just gotta…!”_ Souda pleaded, looking at his watch with anxiety.

“Maybe she’s just running late?” Leon suggested. “She’s bound to show up any minute!”

“Yeah!” Saionji, the Maid Of Honor, agreed, “Big Sis Koizumi’s not one to bail on someone for no reason. Even if she is getting married to you, Big Bro Souda.”

“Thanks, Saionji, that means a lot…” Souda said in a flat, sarcastic tone.

Saionji then put a hand to her ear microphone upon receiving word about Mahiru. The fact that her eyes widened with shock didn’t signify anything good. But, rather than saying it directly, she instead whispered it in the ear of the priest.

“What? The bride got cold feet?!” the priest gasped.

Those words confirmed the very fears of everyone in the room. Everyone was in shock, the organist immediately stopped playing, and the groomsmen and bridesmaids began murmuring amongst themselves. What surprised Leon and Hinata was Souda immediately stepping off of the altar and bolting out of the room to find his bride.

“Kazu, wait!” Leon tried to object.

“There he goes,” Hinata sighed. “I just hope he finds her soon.”

* * *

 Some more time had passed, and it was now early in the afternoon. A worried Souda was still searching the building for Mahiru. He had no luck so far, but still refused to give up on the one he loved.

“Mahiru? Mahiru, come on!” he called desperately. “Mahiru!”

With no response heard, Souda could feel his heart breaking in his chest, finally accepting that Mahiru left him for good. As tears began leaking from his eyes, he jerked his head up upon hearing faint sobs coming from nearby. Walking towards the sobs, he found sitting on a bench his missing bride, Mahiru Koizumi. Her curled and flowing red hair was tied back in a fancy high braid ponytail, but her tear-stained face was buried in her hands as her elbows balanced against her radiant white single-strapped wedding gown. In addition, her white veil was pushed up and out of the way.

“‘Hiru?” Souda called in a softer tone, taking a seat on the bench next to his fiancée.

“Kazuichi?” Mahiru wondered, looking up with a face smudged by runny mascara. “What are… what are you doing here? How did you find me?”

“I’ve been looking everywhere. I’ve been worried sick, and everyone’s wondering where you are. Babe, why did you run off? You don’t wanna get married?”

“No, that’s not it. I never once doubted that I still want to marry you, but…” The Photographer’s eyes began welling up with more tears as her sobs escaped her throat once again. “I just don’t know if this is right! I’m really nothing special, so why do you even want to marry me in the first place?! You could just marry someone else and you’d be much happier!”

Souda was surprised at the cause of Mahiru’s cold feet. Although he had been in love with and had a few crushes on people in the past, he no longer thought of them as valid. The present was all that mattered to him, and in that time, he only had eyes for Mahiru. And the sight of seeing her put herself down like that was just heartbreaking. Without further thought, he gave Mahiru a deep kiss on her cherry-flavored lips, causing her to become quite surprised.

“Mahiru, you have no idea how wrong you are,” Souda told her, wiping his love’s tears away with his thumb. “If I married someone else, then I’d have to spend every day of my life without the girl who’s always been there for me. The girl who’s always listened, always cared, and has had my back for as long as I can remember. I can’t possibly marry someone else, you know why?”

“Wh-Why?” Mahiru sniffled, starting to become touched already.

“Because, there’s only one Mahiru Koizumi in the world, and that’s you. So, are ya willing to give this another go?”

Wiping the rest of her tears away, Mahiru smiled and gave Souda a nod, confirming that she was finally ready. Picking up her bouquet of red and pink roses, Mahiru began walking back with Souda to the venue with her veil over her face again. When they arrived, everyone was relieved at the sight of the bride, but also surprised that she was walking down the aisle beside the groom, one hand in the other’s. Regardless, the organist began playing the traditional bridal chorus as the couple walked together, the flower girl spreading brightly colored petals behind them. Souda and Mahiru eventually made their way to the altar, standing in front of each other with utter bliss as Souda gently lifted Mahiru’s veil out of her face.

“Dearly beloved,” the priest began, “we are all gathered here today to witness the matrimonial union of Kazuichi Souda and Mahiru Koizumi. To join two hearts in love for a special lifetime. If there is but one reason why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

When no one said a word, the priest nodded and continued with his duties. After a brief speech, he allowed the bride and groom to recite their special vows as the wedding rings were presented to both of them.

“Mahiru,” Souda started, holding Mahiru’s hand in one of his and the ring in the other, “for the longest time, I never thought we’d ever get along. But then, I started seeing you differently. Beneath that fiery shell is someone who’s loyal, kind, caring, and smart. I’ve met lots of people in my lifetime, but it only took me so long to realize that you were the one all along. So, with this ring, I promise to always stick by your side, and to be your lifelong helper and partner ‘til the end of time.” After he finished speaking, Souda carefully placed the ring onto Mahiru’s right ring finger and smiled as Mahiru began to recite her vows as well.

“Kazuichi,” Mahiru began, “in the beginning, I didn’t see the man standing before me today. In fact, I didn’t really see much of who you really are at all. But, in the time we’ve been together, that’s changed. Now, I see the man who’s willing to take big steps to reach his goals. Someone who’s loving, hard-working, and considerate of others. Through thick and thin, you've loved me despite anything and everything that’s happened. With this ring, I promise to do the same for the rest of our lives; until death do us part,” she concluded, placing the second ring onto Souda’s left ring finger.

“The bride and groom have recited their nuptial vows,” the priest announced. “Let it be known that on this Spring Equinox, yet another union of love and prosperity has been made. With that, I now officially pronounce you two husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

As the guests, groomsmen, and bridesmaids all broke out into applause and cheers (a few of them even started crying tears of joy), Souda and Mahiru shared their first kiss as husband and wife. When they pulled apart, they could only look at each other with warm stares and smiles before Souda broke the moment by speaking.

“You… still like me, right, babe?” he asked rather naively.

Sighing at her new husband’s silly question, Mahiru said nothing and pulled Souda in close to her before placing another deep kiss on his lips as her obvious answer. Pulling apart once again, Souda gave his wife a sharktoothed smile, satisfied at her response.

* * *

 Later that evening, a large portion of the guests and special wedding attendees were mingling in the reception venue to celebrate the new marriage of two of their loved ones. At a circular table embroidered in pink and white rose petals was a four-tier white wedding cake decorated with fancy swirls of the same color and each level wrapped with a thick band of forest green frosting. In front of it were Souda, Mahiru, and their friends, awaiting the bride to make the first cut as the groom held onto the same hand holding the knife.

“Alright, ‘Hiru, on three,” Souda instructed. “One, two…”

On the imaginary third count, Mahiru pushed the knife down into the cake twice, creating an even, triangular slice with Souda’s aid. As everyone applauded while a few camera flashes went off, the first cake slice going onto Mahiru’s plate. After Souda took a slice of his own, some of the guests began cutting their own slices of marble wedding cake (Akane taking a rather large piece, much like Twogami). Just as Souda was about to take a third forkful of wedding cake, Saionji mischievously ambushed him by smashing her own slice into his face. However, in contrast to the way her high school self would have intended it, the act was meant to be more playful instead of cruel.

“I heard the groom’s supposed to get caked in the face at his wedding!” Saionji giggled, removing her plate from Souda’s cake-stained face. “Happy wedding, Big Bro Souda!”

“That’s only if the bride does it, Saionji…” Souda groaned, about to grab a napkin when he noticed a camera flash. Turning around, he saw Mahiru holding a black camera and giggling herself. “Ah, Mahiru! Don’t take a picture!” he complained, wiping the cake off of his face with a napkin.

“Lighten up, honey,” Mahiru said humorously, “at least it’ll last longer now.”

“I guess…” Souda sighed, aware of his wife’s rule of never deleting her top-notch photos. “I’m just glad things turned out right in the end,” he added, pulling Mahiru into a loving embrace.

“I love you so much, Kazuichi,” Mahiru told her husband, leaning her head on his chest as she returned the embrace.

“Love ya too, babe,” Souda said back. “Always will.”

The newly-wed couple’s embrace was interrupted by Ibuki calling them over to propose the traditional wedding toast so they could officially kick-start the reception party. Picking her dress up a little to avoid tripping, Mahiru went over to the dining table with Souda, eager the kick-off the reception celebrating their union of love.


	7. A Semi-Formal Night To Remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD, THIS CHAPTER SUCKS ASS. I'm honestly sorry for the butchered prompt you are about to witness with your very eyes. I most likely messed up on some of the characters, and I am truly sorry for that. But, "Happy" Reading, I guess...

Flickering bright stars decorated the mysterious and vast shroud of darkness that was the night sky. Below the darkened sky was Hope’s Peak Academy, hosting a semi-formal dance event that nearly three-quarters of the student population were currently attending in the gymnasium.

Inside of the building itself, the main lights were completely off, and the only source of illumination came from the smaller, yet flashy decorative lights strung up all around the gym. Each and every SHSL student entered the gym dressed in their best dresses and semi-formal tuxedo-esque uniforms; coming in with either their date or close companions. Near the food table was Souda, standing beside his one and only “Soul Friend”. At that moment, the SHSL Mechanic was observing two students in particular by the names of Sonia Nevermind, his object of misguided affections, and her own crush, Gundam Tanaka, Souda’s so-called “rival”.

“Grrr, why the hell is Sonia-san mingling with Tanaka?!” Souda growled, frustrated.

“Well, they did agree to go with each other,” Hinata pointed out. “Have you tried asking Sonia to dance?”

“Yes, I have! But, she didn’t give me a reply and just walked off. Geez, and to think I was actually gonna finally dance with a princess… Hell, maybe Sonia-san would have agreed to a date too!”

“Souda, you’re one of my closest friends. But, I _highly_ doubt that Sonia would wanna date anyone who wasn’t Tanaka.”

“Not true! I overheard her say something about you being her possible ‘destined one’, whatever that means.”

“M-Me?!” Hinata wondered, a light blush of flattery coming to his cheeks. “But, Sonia and I are just friends!”

“Hmm…” Souda pondered, still rather skeptical. “Well, I trust ya. After all, you’re my one true Soul Friend for a reason! After Sonia-san finishes her dance with Tanaka, I’m gonna give it another go!”

“Good luck with that…” Hinata sighed under his breath in a doubtful tone.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mahiru was conversing with Ibuki and Saionji in another part of the gymnasium, while also trying to take a few memorable photos of her many smiling schoolmates. Although Ibuki was the only one among the three to have come with a date (Mahiru wasn’t asked out, and Saionji wanted nothing to do with the “pigs” who asked her), the three friends still agreed to hang out with each other during the entire dance. The girls would also typically be conversing with Mikan, who was unable to attend the event for important reasons, much to the delight of Saionji.

“So, Ibuki-chan, you got Togami to take you?” Mahiru asked.

“That’s right! Byakuya-chan just couldn’t resist Ibuki’s na-tu-ral charm!” Ibuki chirped.

“Tch, I guess that ‘charm’ only attracts people like Mr. Porkfeet,” Saionji scoffed. “That’s a fat face only you could love, Big Sis Mioda…”

“Well, how could Ibuki not, Hiyoko-chan? If Byakuya-chan’s ‘Mr. Porkfeet’, then that makes Ibuki ‘Mrs. Mr. Handsome Porkfeet’!”

“I don’t really think that’s how you say it, Ibuki-chan,” Mahiru pointed out with a bit of humor in her tone. “Besides, at least you get the chance to dance with someone trustworthy,” she sighed, looking over at a certain Mechanic badgering Sonia Nevermind.

“Don’t worry, Mahiru-chan!” Ibuki assured. “Ibuki’s sure that you’ll get to dance with Kazuichi-chan! Who knows? You might even get a kiiiiss!”

“A-And what makes you think I’d wanna kiss him?!” Mahiru objected, face turning rather rosy. “Souda and I don’t like each other like that! D-Don’t be ridiculous, Ibuki!”

“Even so, it’s obvious you still want at least one dance with him!”

“Well, yeah…” Mahiru sighed, turning away shyly. “So what if I do? Souda can be an utter pain sometimes, but I do care about him. One dance wouldn’t hurt, but he’s off trying to bug Sonia-chan.”

“I still don’t get what you see in that pervy pig!” Saionji objected, “Big Bro Souda’s just a pathetic loser who’s probably gonna die alone! You can do a _lot_ better, Big Sis Koizumi.”

“Hiyoko-chan, you don’t know him as well as I do. Once you get to know him a little more, you start to see him in a different light.”

“If you say so… I still think he’s a disgusting pig.”

“Mahiru-chan!” Ibuki piped up, grabbing her friend by the shoulders firmly, only letting go after the Photographer’s attention was hers for that moment. “Just to let you know, Ibuki believes in you entirely. You just gotta take the chance before it slips away before your eyes! Go on! Dance with Kazuichi-chan before he gets away!”

“Thanks, Ibuki,” Mahiru said sincerely. “Okay, I’ll see you girls later.”

“Make sure that idiot doesn’t try anything funny!” Saionji called out. “Because if he does, he’s _not_ gonna like what I do!”

* * *

 Near the dance floor, Souda noticed that Gundam was out of sight for the moment, so he took the opportunity to try and make his move on Sonia. But each time he got close to her, something would either interrupt him or the SHSL Princess would just walk off in another direction. When he finally caught up to her with no interruptions, Sonia merely turned to him with her usual kind expression. However, her face was also just as firm.

“Look, Souda-san,” she told him. “I am aware that you would like to dance with me this evening, or even take Tanaka-san’s place as my date.”

“Well, yeah, but--”

“But nothing. I believe I’ve made it perfectly clear that I want nothing to do with you tonight. I’ve already chosen my date tonight, and it’s not you. Now, I must politely ask you to please just let me be and enjoy the night elsewhere.”

Before Souda could say anything else, Sonia walked away from him one last time and didn’t return. Sighing, the Mechanic hung his head a little lower and wound up walking in the other direction instead of following the Princess. At the arranged tables, however, he noticed Mahiru sitting by herself and looking at some of the photos she had taken. As he carefully walked closer, Souda noticed that Mahiru’s face was rather somber despite looking at her wonderful photos. He decided to take a seat next to her, which diverted her attention away from her camera.

“What do you want, Souda?” Mahiru asked, only looking at him for a second. “Shouldn’t you be trying to get a dance with Sonia-chan?”

“I was,” Souda answered, “but she pretty much told me to beat it. So much for dancin’ the night away with a princess…”

“Well, perhaps next time, you should be more observant of when people want to dance with you, and when they don’t. Who knows? Your perfect dance partner might be someone you never considered.”

“Ya really think that? But, I really don’t have anyone to dance with. Everyone else who’s least likely already has a date.”

“Not everyone, Souda. Did you ever once consider that someone does want at least one dance with you?”

Souda had known Mahiru for a long enough time to pick up on her tone of voice and body language. In other words, it didn’t take long for him to figure out that the redhaired Photographer had been wanting to dance with her friend all night. Souda wasn’t sure whether or not she still wanted to, but it wouldn’t hurt to find out.

“...You still wanna dance with me?” Souda asked, standing up.

“What? You’d actually want that?” Mahiru wondered before switching to a more stubborn tone. “Of course, I do wanna dance with you, but don’t step on my feet. Got it, Mister?”

“Don’t worry, Red! You could say I trained for tonight!”

The Mechanic extended his hand to Mahiru, who placed her camera on the table and joined her hand in his. He guided her to the dance floor just in time for a slow song to start playing. Souda pulled Mahiru close to him with two hands on her waist (he made sure they went no further down, lest things end badly for him), while Mahiru put her own hands on Souda’s shoulders. Both of them were rather nervous and unsure about the whole thing, but Souda had to remember the dance lessons he had taken in the past couple of days, which were originally to prepare him for his now-non-existent dance with Sonia. Although he did come close to stepping on Mahiru’s foot, Souda stuck to what he learned and took the lead in his and Mahiru’s dance. The entire course of the dance, Souda and Mahiru could feel their very hearts pounding in their chests, heat rising in their faces, yet still harmonious as their patterned movements remained in tune with the song. While the last verse of the song began playing, the two students felt utter bliss with each other as they lost some focus on what was really happening. What brought them back to reality was the applause of some of the party-goers, and when that happened, Souda and Mahiru found their lips making contact with each other. Quickly pulling apart, they turned away from each other shyly as Mahiru began walking away from the dance floor.

“Hey, wait, Koizumi!” Souda objected, grabbing Mahiru by the wrist to stop her. “Don’t go…”

“Why not?” Mahiru wondered, a pink blush not leaving her face in the slightest. “You got your substitute dance, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, though I really wouldn’t call it a ‘substitute’ dance,” Souda added, his own blush still quite visible. “After all, I _did_ say I wanted to dance the night away with a princess, didn’t I?”

Souda’s words were enough to make Mahiru blink in surprise and even walk back over to him. Although she still found the kiss to be rather sudden and awkward, the SHSL Photographer truly enjoyed the dance she finally got to share with Souda. When he extended his hand to offer her another dance, she accepted smiling and without hesitation.

Among the people surrounding the punch bowl was Sonia, sipping a small cup of the flavored liquid. The Princess turned around to see Souda dancing with Mahiru and enjoying himself. Smiling, Sonia took another sip of her punch, glad to see that Souda had finally found someone else that made him truly happy.


	8. The Greatest Of Little Treasures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this chapter's kinda short, but that's because I already posted this on Tumblr and there wasn't much to add to it. I still think this one came out fairly well, though. This was another request by someone else, and they've already seen it when I posted it.

"Kazuichi, hurry up!" a six-year old Mahiru called to her black-haired, glasses-wearing friend hoisting the green wagon full of strange supplies. "We need to collect as much treasure as possible!"

"Urgh, I’m pulling as hard as I can, Hiru!" Souda objected. "It’s not my fault this wagon’s really heavy!" Looking into it, he was still puzzled by the things they found. "This isn’t even treasure; it looks like a buncha junk to me."

"Hey, they’re shiny, aren’t they? Tch, someone has no appreciation for even the smallest things…"

Seeing how Souda was still struggling with the heavy wagon, Mahiru rolled her eyes and decided to take over for him. Although Souda scoffed under his breath as he adjusted the glasses hanging over his gray eyes, the two children continued their quest for hidden treasure to fill up their red, trinket-filled wagon bearing a makeshift sail with a drawing of a Jolly Roger taped to the front of the wagon.

“Why couldn’t I have been captain?!” Souda complained. “I would’ve made a much better one than you!”

“That’s not true, and you know it,” Mahiru retorted, sticking her tongue out at the other grade-schooler. “Besides, it was the majority two-to-one vote on who came up with the best name for our pirate ship, and I won fair and square.”

“Betrayed by my own mother… ‘Titanic Shark’ was a way better name!”

“Really? ‘Cause your mom thought ‘Crimson Cruiser’ was  even cooler than your idea!”

Souda grumbled in a low tone, pouting as he shifted his eyes away from Mahiru. As they walked, the kids picked up whatever shiny objects they found on the pavement. The objects were mostly small trinkets or shiny caps, anything Souda and Mahiru classified as “treasure” (though the former seemed rather merry to find an abandoned robot toy lying around, picking it up without hesitation). With each step and petty piece of junk retrieved, Mahiru was getting increasingly bored.

“Ugh, this treasure hunt is a bust!” she groused, “We’re never gonna find any real treasure at this rate!”

"Wait! What’s that?" Souda asked, looking up in a tree.

"Do you see more treasure?" Mahiru wondered, scratching her choppy short red hair.

"Yeah, it’s in that tree! I’ll… I’ll get it."

Gulping, the small boy grabbed onto the bark and began pulling himself up the plant. When he was at a height that wasn’t too “frightening”, Souda reached for the shiny trinket (that turned out to be a beautiful necklace), only to still be short of grasp.

"Mahiru, I can’t reach it!" Souda cried out, struggling to stretch his arm any further.

"Hang in there, Kazuichi!" Mahiru responded, walking over underneath Souda. "I’ll just give you a boost up!"

Mahiru pushed Souda up a little further, and he was able to retrieve the shiny necklace successfully. Unfortunately, the boy lost his grip and wound up falling out of the tree and onto his freckled friend.

"Kazu, are you okay?" Mahiru asked, brushing herself off. "You fell all over me!"

"Y-Yeah, I’ll be fine…" Souda lied with a sniffle, covering his scraped knee with his hand.

The girl could see right through the act, and reached into her dress pocket to pull out a pretty band-aid with spaceships on it. Removing the paper protecting the sticky part, Mahiru made Souda uncover the scrape and patched it up with a small kiss on the knee.

"Gross! Why did you kiss it?!" Souda whined. "Now I might catch girl germs!"

"Because kisses make boo-boos a whole lot better, dummy!" Mahiru retorted, choosing to ignore Souda’s other statement. "Now, doesn’t that feel a little better?"

"Y-Yeah, I guess it does… Thanks!" he said with a slight pink hue in his cheeks.

"Ah, you two youngsters found my necklace!" a slightly aged man exclaimed, walking closer to Souda and Mahiru.

"This is yours, Mr. Hanabi?" Mahiru asked, handing him the necklace. "And to think we actually found some real live treasure too…"

"Well, it looks like you and Kazuichi have found some pretty interesting finds!" Mr. Hanabi chuckled, looking at the wagon full of shiny materials. "As a reward for finding Makiko’s birthday gift, I want you two to have these!"

Mr. Hanabi gave Souda and Mahiru each a small net-bag of chocolate doubloons, making the two children grin eagerly. Once the man started strolling back home to deliver the gift to his wife, Souda and Mahiru started heading back to Souda’s house themselves (the boy’s mother was likely waiting on her son and his play-date guest).

"See, Mahiru?" Souda said, munching on a few chocolate coins, "This pirate treasure hunt wasn’t a total bust!"

"True, but we didn’t even find anything that interesting!" Mahiru added after swallowing a couple pieces of chocolate herself. "I guess as long as Mrs. Hanabi likes her gift, then that’s okay too."

"Yeah… But if you had let me be captain instead, then I’d bet we could have found a bazillion necklaces! Maybe even some gold too!”

"In your dreams, Kazu. I’m the best captain there is, and you’re my first mate!"

"I’m gonna make you walk the plank when we get back!"

"Nuh-uh! Only the captain can do that, first-mate! Or would you rather be the cabin boy instead?”

"I ain’t no cabin boy! I get dibs on captain next time, okay?"

"Whatever you say… cabin-boy!" Mahiru laughed, giving Souda a light bop on the arm, prompting the boy to playfully reciprocate with laughter as they approached the front door where Souda’s mother was waiting for them.


	9. Family Fun Time At The Theme Park

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to write another chapter centered around my KazuKoi fankids, so I used a prompt I talked to a friend about and made when I got home from Six Flags this past summer. Enjoy and Happy Reading!

The September weekend was warm and sunny, the perfect opportunity to get out and about with loved ones. And during this particular Saturday afternoon, a 28-year old Souda and equally aged Mahiru were spending time at a local theme park with their children; six-year old fraternal twin sons, Touya and Haruka, and almost-2 months old daughter, Hinata (who was riding in a reclining stroller).

Although they had arrived at the park over an hour and a half ago, the boys eagerness to go on all of the cool rides drove them to go everywhere around the park, hardly letting their parents sit down for a small rest.

“Boys, maybe we should give the rides a little break,” Mahiru suggested, a bit winded.

“No way!” Touya objected, “The point of amusement parks is ‘amusement’! Sitting around isn’t ‘amusement’, Mom!”

“Nah, your mom’s right, Touya,” Souda added. “If ya guys go on every single ride in less than an hour, then you’ll be outta rides to go on.”

“Well, you do have a point…” Haruka pondered, “But we still wanna go on the rides before we go home!”

“You’ll get to, Haru,” Mahiru assured, “for now, why don’t we all take a little lunch break? Then you can go back on the rides after your food settles.”

The boys agreed on that plan, although they were both itching to go on rides (Touya a little more-so than Haruka). The family all sat at one of the tables close to a food concession stand, enjoying their meals. While the older members ate things ordered from the stand, baby Hinata suckled breast milk from the small baby bottle held to her tiny lips by Mahiru as the latter female cradled the baby with her free arm.

“How can Hinata get full from just a tiny bit of milk?” Touya wondered as he swallowed his food.

“This is a special kind of milk that’s good for babies,” Mahiru explained as Hinata stopped suckling from the bottle. “She won’t need to drink it when her teeth start growing in.”

Hinata started squirming and whimpering uncomfortably in her mother’s arms. Mahiru rubbed and patted the baby’s back lightly until her daughter let out a soft burp. As her mother bounced her gently, the bubbly infant managed to grab Mahiru’s unbraided side plait and playfully yanked the same red hair that matched her thin tufts in color.

“Ouch! Oww! Hinata, no,” Mahiru yelped with a wince, getting the baby to let go of her hair. “You shouldn’t pull on Mommy’s hair like that. It really hurts, sweetie.”

* * *

 Half an hour had passed, and the twins decided to get up the moment they felt their food had digested. Souda and Mahiru knew there was almost no way of getting either of them to wait while in a theme park, so they began moving again once Hinata was placed back into her stroller.

“Where’re you boys headed to?” Souda asked, catching up to his sons.

“Touya wants to go on that,” Haruka answered, pointing up ahead.

“Dad, you should come on with us!” Touya suggested.

Souda looked in the direction where his younger son was pointing. The ride his kids intended to go onto was a roller coaster, which was not only a ride he detested going on due to motion sickness and nerves, but the ride itself looked pretty extreme in its physical appearance. His eyes widened with terror at the very sight of it, but he quickly made it fade when he turned back to face Touya and Haruka.

“Ahh… sorry, boys!” he chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “Your old man’s gonna have to take a rain check for this one! M-Maybe I’ll go on the next one, okay?”

“Aww…” Touya and Haruka groused, disappointed. The older twin then turned to Mahiru instead. “Mom! You can come on with me and Haru since Dad won’t do it!”

“What, me?” Mahiru wondered, a bit unsure. “Boys, I’m really not a big fan of roller coasters.”

“Pleeease? Pretty please, Mommy?” the twins pleaded, giving their mother puppy-dog eyes.

“Oh, alright. Just this once. Besides, I’m not going to let you boys go on that thing by yourselves. Kazuichi, do you mind watching the baby for a bit?”

“Not at all, Mahiru!” Souda assured his wife. “You and the boys enjoy the ride, and I’ll just kick back with Hinata! Ah-ha…”

If there was one thing Mahiru was aware of, it was her husband’s motion sickness. Pressuring him into going on the ride wouldn’t be right, so she knew it was best that he stayed put for now.

“Alright,” Mahiru confirmed, giving Souda a peck on the lips. “Touya, Haruka, let’s go. We don’t wanna get caught in a long line!”

After Mahiru left with Touya and Haruka, Souda let out a sigh of relief at having gotten out of riding his least favorite type of theme park ride. He twiddled a little with his magenta-dyed hair before looking into Hinata’s stroller.

“That was a close one, wasn’t it, Hina?” he asked his infant daughter with a chuckle.

Hinata could only babble and continue sucking on the green pacifier in her mouth, moving her little arms around as she did so. When she let the soothing object slip from her gummy mouth, the near-2-month-old raised her arms up at her father, prompting him to pick her up into his arms.

“Mommy and your brothers are still on the ride, so it’s just you and Daddy for a wittle bit~,” Souda cooed, nuzzling his lips against Hinata’s chubby cheeks before blowing lip raspberries into her right cheek.

At the feeling of Souda giving her ticklish raspberries, Hinata immediately erupted into a fit of giggles and squirms. When Souda took his lips off of her, baby Hinata’s attention diverted to her dad’s mini-braid dangling right in front of her. As per usual, the curious and playful infant grabbed onto the piece of hair and began yanking on it like one would a simple lamp chain.

“Ouch! Oww! Augh!” Souda cried out as his daughter pulled the hair repeatedly, “Ow! Hinata, Daddy’s hair, ouch! Daddy’s hair isn’t a toy! I know how much you like to, augh! Pull on it, but please let go now!”

Although Hinata had no intention of refraining, Souda got her to release her grip by gently parting her fingers with his thumb and index finger. Hinata whined when Souda placed the mini-braid to the back of his head and out of her reach, but she quickly forgot about it when her father began leaving a pattern of raspberries and kisses on her cheek again, causing Hinata to start giggling again. Just then, Souda pulled away from Hinata’s cheeks upon noticing a dizzy Mahiru walking towards them with a stoked Touya and Haruka.

“So, how was the ride, ‘Hiru?” Souda asked.

“Well, I’m still not a fan of roller coasters…” Mahiru groaned, straightening her long red hair back into its proper plait. “At least Tou and Haru enjoyed the ride.”

“It was awesome!” Touya cheered, still reveling in the leftover adrenaline of the ride.

“It’s a shame you didn’t go on, Daddy,” Haruka added, “the ride rocked!”

“Oh, I’m sure I didn’t miss much,” Souda chuckled. “Where do you boys wanna go next? Hopefully a more easy-going ride?”

“Nope! We’re going on _that_ roller coaster this time!” the twins corrected, both pointing in another direction.

Much to Souda and Mahiru’s chagrin, the boys were itching to go on yet another roller coaster. And like its predecessor, it appeared to have a high velocity and was wild overall. They both knew that one of them was going to have to go on with the boys since they refused to let two six-year olds go on such a thing by themselves.

“Kazu, I think you should take this one,” Mahiru suggested. “I need a break from that last one…”

“What?!” Souda gasped, “Mahiru, if I go on that thing, I’m not gonna live to see my 30s! Besides, you know I have--”

“Yes, I do know. Look, honey, it’s just one time, so I’ll make sure you won’t have to do this again. Plus, you're wearing your motion-sickness band today, so that should help, shouldn't it?”

Before Souda could object, Hinata started crying from her stroller. When he picked the baby up, the Mechanic immediately winced upon detecting a foul smell emanating from his infant daughter.

“Yeah, I think someone’s overdue for a diaper change,” he breathed. “Don’t worry, babe, I’ll take it from here!”

“No, that’s okay, honey,” Mahiru assured him, taking the wailing Hinata into her arms. “I appreciate the offer, but you already looked after her, so I’ll take over until you get back with the twins.”

“Mahiru, wait! I--”

Unfortunately, his last attempt at convincing Mahiru to change her mind went unheard, as the 28-year old redhaired woman left to the nearest park bathroom with her crying infant daughter and a baby bag chock full of supplies. Sighing, Souda turned back to his anxious sons, who were still aching to go on the roller coaster.

“C’mon, Dad!” Touya pleaded, pointing to the ride frantically. “Let’s go! The line’s gonna be super long if we don’t!”

“Alright, boys, let’s go…” Souda sighed yet again, following the twins to the roller coaster line.

While he was happy that Touya and Haruka were anticipating the ride ahead of them, the only thing Souda felt about the ride was dread. Adding insult to injury, the line for the ride wasn’t horrendously long by the time they arrived. Before he knew it, Souda was being fastened into the roller coaster seat as the black bar was pulled over his body and secured.

 _“Well, this is it…”_ Souda gulped in his head, sweaty palms holding onto the lap bar as the ride began taking off.

* * *

 Meanwhile, Mahiru was finishing up wiping the fidgety Hinata’s underside clean before she diligently rubbed baby lotion over the section of the skin that was once covered by the diaper. The sensation of the cream soothed Hinata a little more, enough for her mother to strap the clean diaper around her before she washed her hands free of germs.

“There. All clean, honey,” Mahiru cooed, pulling Hinata’s spring green spaghetti-strap dress back down.

Hinata cooed and reached her arms up at Mahiru, and the woman picked her cheeky daughter up into her arms before throwing the dirty diaper into the nearby trash can. When they reached the bench closest to the ride Souda and the boys were on, Mahiru saw the three exiting the ride. However, the looks on their faces showed a mix between disdain and embarrassment, in addition to Souda’s T-shirt donning a dark wet stain near the collar and in the middle along with his mouth being somewhat caked with a greenish-brown substance along the corners.

“Ride didn’t go well?” Mahiru asked.

“No! Dad got sick and puked near the end,” Haruka answered.

“He also wouldn’t stop screaming during the whole thing!” Touya exclaimed.

“Well… that’s what happens when ya drag your motion sickness-prone dad onto a roller coaster with ya…” Souda groaned, still woozy from the ride.

“If ya told us this earlier, we wouldn’t have made you go on!” Touya retorted.

“Yeah, we would have just waited for Mommy to come back from changing Hinata,” Haruka added. “Or at least, I would’ve made Touya wait for her.”

“Hey, I can wait for things!”

“Right, and I have green polka-dots for freckles…”

“Oi, look, boys,” Souda sighed, wiping his mouth a little with his arm, “I’m really sorry I ruined the ride for ya. Roller coasters just ain’t my thing is all.”

“Don’t worry about it!” Touya replied, “You just have a bad stomach and a weak ‘consin-tution’ is all!”

“Exactly. It’s not your fault you blew chunks all over the seat, so don’t be sorry, Dad!”

“Aww, thanks boys!” Souda chuckled before becoming a bit unsure, “...I think?”

“Now, let’s go on the next ride!” Touya suggested, looking around the park with wandering gray eyes. “How about…”

“Why don’t you choose a more easy-going ride this time, Touya?” Mahiru interrupted. “If I’m gonna go on these things again, then I don’t wanna have to keep going on all these crazy roller coasters.”

“But, Mom! You didn’t get sick like Dad did!”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I like roller coasters all that much. Just try to take it easy with the fast rides, okay? That applies to both you and Haruka.”

“Okay…” Touya and Haruka pouted.

The ride the twins wound up selecting was the merry-go-round in the section closest to the one they were in. The walk was a little lengthy, but it wasn’t too much of a hassle for any of the family members (not even Hinata, who had been placed back into her stroller beforehand). When Touya and Haruka were eventually situated onto their respective horses, Souda and Mahiru stayed behind on the bench to watch.

“Does your motion sickness apply to carousels?” Mahiru asked her husband, who had an arm around her shoulders.

“Nah, they move around the speed that doesn’t make me sick. I just didn’t wanna go on this time around.”

“Why not? Because you think it’s ‘weird’ for a grown man to go on a merry-go-round?”

“No, I don’t!” Souda objected half-honestly, “I just wanted to sit down for a few minutes with my awesome wife!”

“Aww, Kazuichi... I guess some time with my dorky husband is needed too.”

Souda leaned in and planted a kiss on the side of Mahiru’s neck. Although she trembled with bliss at his tender kisses, she stopped him when he began inching closer to her lips. Mahiru placed a palm on her husband’s lips, he himself looking at her with a disappointed look in his pink color-contacted eyes.

“Sorry, Kazu,” she told him, “but no kisses until we get home. I’m not kissing someone who just threw up on himself.”

“Aww, but, Mahiru…” Souda whined.

“No ‘buts’, Mister. You’ll get a nice long lip-lock when you clean that mouth of yours completely.”

“Fine… at least I’ve got somethin’ ta look forward to when we get home~”

The merry-go-round soon ceased its circuitous course, the ride attendee unbuckling the customers to allow them off the ride. When Touya and Haruka walked back to their parents, they looked like they were starting to get tired.

“Ready to go, guys?” Souda asked.

“No, Dad!” Touya yawned, “We have time for tons more…” The six-year old’s sentence was cut off by his own yawn, followed by his younger twin’s beside him.

“Maybe it is time to call it a day,” Haruka yawned as well, just as weary from the day of all the fast-paced rides with his brother. “Can we come back tomorrow when we’re not tired anymore?”

“We’ll see, Haru,” Mahiru chuckled before looking into Hinata’s stroller, seeing her baby girl yawn quietly before falling asleep. “Alright, the kids are getting tired, let’s go home.”

“Good. Today was exhausting,” Souda commented, lifting the sleepy Haruka onto his back so his son could have a place to rest on.

Mahiru in turn lifted Touya onto her back, and the weary boy repeated his brother’s actions by wrapping his arms around his parent and dozing off. At the same time, Souda took the liberty of pushing Hinata’s stroller as he and the rest of his family made their way towards the theme park entrance amongst a diverse crowd of other people planning on heading back to their own homes.


End file.
